To The Cousin I Never Knew

[J.S.]

Right now I'm attempting to write an obituary to a man I have never met. I don't want anyone to think I was close to Eric, for that would be wrong and selfish, a pitiful attempt to implant myself into the life of a brave man. But I've heard stories. I've read tributes from family and teammates. And I feel that I've gotten to know Eric J. Lindstrom the best I can. A dedicated police officer, soldier, and family man, Eric was one of the giants of this world, someone you would never forget even if you only met him for a moment. He grew up in Arizona, in a small town called Flagstaff. He was a boy who loved baseball and the Boy Scouts, becoming an Eagle Scout a short time before he enlisted in the US Army. Eric served as a mortarman in the 1st Infantry Division, out of Germany, before being promoted to Sergeant and leaving for the 2nd Armored Cav just before the invasion of Iraq. He participated in the drive to Baghdad with the 2nd ACR and took bloody Sadr City. Eric left the Army for a short two years to become a police officer, patrolling the streets of his hometown with the Flagstaff PD. There, he's remembered as a gregarious presence, a prankster who wasn't afraid to be serious.

 

In 2007, Eric realized the Army needed combat-proven NCOs to lead men in 'The Surge' of troops to Afghanistan. He reenlisted as a Staff Sergeant with Alpha Company, 1-32 Infantry, 10th Mountain Division, based out of Fort Drum, NY. SSG Lindstrom said goodbye to his heavily-pregnant wife, Tara, as he deployed to Afghanistan with his unit in 2009, only seeing his twin baby girls for two weeks on granted leave. In Nuristan Province, Eric left his mark as a man cool under fire, but this NCO was chiefly known as a loving father and husband. A soldier in his company recalled that the operations tent was plastered with pictures of his baby girls, and how Eric would rush to his quarters to watch home videos of the twins. Eric was killed on July 12, 2009, the first casualty of the hellish Battle of Barge-Matal, which would go on to claim over 60 Coalition casualties, 42 of them from the 1-32 Infantry. He died saving two of his youngest soldiers from death, earning a posthumous Bronze Star for Valor.

 

I love and miss you Eric. Climb to Glory.

 

 

[Milkshake]

A cousin you never knew about is just surprising. Glad to hear the story of Eric, he seemed like a great man, saving two of his youngest soldiers. Thank you for sharing this amazing story OP. I wouldn't have ever known of this one soldier who made a difference into men's lives. Your cousin is a hero.

[sundance]

Rest in peace Mr. Lindstrom. Thanks for bringing us his story.

[uberguido]

I was in a different company from SSG Lindstrom but we did work together and he was highly regarded as a traditional and outstanding combat NCO. The Attack Co guys loved him and he was all around a good guy, one of Chosins finest.

 

Rest Easy SSG.

[J.S.]

Thank you for the kind words uberguido. He was Platoon Sgt of 3rd Platoon, Attack Company, right?

[uberguido]

I know he was with Attack, I'm not 100% which platoon right now. I didn't know him well outside of the few encounters I had with him, as a small element from Dog Co we got teamed up from time to time with different Attack platoons for larger operations. I guess what stuck out most was the outpouring of support Attack had for each other when they lost him. It was a big hit for them and that spoke volumes about him.

 

I will look through my pictures as soon as I can and see if I have any pictures of his tribute and ceremony the battalion had at Joyce. It's been years and I don't know if I have any but I will look. A good place to take a trip to if you can is the new Chosin Memorial at Fort Drum, they have a really fitting tribute to all our fallen up there, it's almost like an indoor museum type of setting and really well done.